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znModeratorPractice Report 9/25: Defending the League’s Best
Myles Simmons
With Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers have arguably the best quarterback-wide receiver-running back trio in the league. And all three will be on display Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome when Pittsburgh comes to town.
“They do a good job with not only the performance and the production of those guys, but I think as a coaching staff, those guys utilize those guys the right way,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said Friday, crediting Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “I think Todd has done a really, really, good job as he’s adapted into that personnel pattern. The way those guys are playing, it’s going to be fun for us to get a chance to stop them.”
“They have a couple of the best receivers in football,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “At least this far this season, [they] will be our biggest offensive challenge from the defensive standpoint.”
Roethlisberger led the league with 4,952 yards passing last year, adding 32 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He’s off to another roaring start in 2015, having racked up 720 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.3 percent of his passes.
“Ben can throw you open,” Williams said. “You can be one-on-one perfect, but then he’ll put the ball on the back shoulder, back hip, front shoulder and he’ll throw you open. And those are the kind of guys that you win championships with, and they have, and he’s won them.”
Though Bell was suspended for the first two games of the season, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said this week the running back is in for a full workload on Sunday. There is plenty involved with that, as Bell is just as effective catching passes as he is running the football. Last year — his second in the league — Bell tallied 1,361 yards rushing and 854 yards receiving on 83 receptions. That’s 2,215 yards from scrimmage — second to only DeMarco Murray’s 2,261.
“One of the most complete backs that I’ve seen on tape,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “When this guy motions out of the backfield to a no-back set, he can run the whole route tree.
“A lot of times, you see a guy motion out and they’re going to run a stop, a comeback, or they’re going to run a vertical. They’re trying to open up space for the receivers underneath. Not Le’Veon,” Laurinaitis continued. “He’ll run option routes, he’ll run whip routes — he’ll run everything.”
To round out the trio, the Steelers have wide receiver Antonio Brown, who led the league in both receptions (129) and yards receiving (1,698) last year. He’s picked up right where he left off, amassing a league-leading 328 yards receiving through the team’s first two games.
“He’s just a quick, crafty guy,” safety Rodney McLeod said. “He kind of catches everything that comes his way. So we’ve got to do a great job at the top of the routes, playing through his hands, and not allowing him to get on top of us.”
Preventing Pittsburgh’s receivers from getting over the top has been a point of emphasis from Williams all week.
“The one thing we can’t do is let the ball get over our heads,” safety T.J. McDonald said.
The defensive coordinator was not happy with last week’s performance against Washington, and said he let the team know it. But Williams has also been pleased with the way the unit responded this week.
“They’re greatly accountable,” Williams said. “From the staff and everything, they’re a great group to be around.”
And though it’s a prolific offense coming this week, the players say they’re up to meeting it head on.
“We love the challenge,” McDonald said. “They’re coming into our house. We want to protect our home field and do what we’re supposed to do. As a secondary, you want to make sure no balls go over your head — that’s the biggest thing. And as pass rushers, get after the passer.”
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Williams said. “It’s going to be a fun game for us, it really is.”
GURLEY WATCH
Come Sunday, the wait could be over, or it could continue for running back Todd Gurley. Fisher said following Friday’s practice the running back is questionable for Sunday.
“We have him listed as full participation all three days,” Fisher said. “We have him listed as questionable, which means, implies that there’s a 50/50 chance he’ll play. It’ll be a game-time decision. So really, really pleased with the progress this week.”
If he does play, Fisher expects the back to be productive.
“Then that becomes a big lift of the team,” Fisher said. “I think it helps us in a lot of areas.”
Elsewhere on the injury report, running back Chase Reynolds (knee) and defensive end Eugene Sims (knee) have been declared out for Sunday. Additionally, punter Johnny Hekker did not practice Friday with an illness, and is listed as probable.Practice Report 9/25: Defending the League’s Best
By Myles Simmons
With Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers have arguably the best quarterback-wide receiver-running back trio in the league. And all three will be on display Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome when Pittsburgh comes to town.
“They do a good job with not only the performance and the production of those guys, but I think as a coaching staff, those guys utilize those guys the right way,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said Friday, crediting Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “I think Todd has done a really, really, good job as he’s adapted into that personnel pattern. The way those guys are playing, it’s going to be fun for us to get a chance to stop them.”
“They have a couple of the best receivers in football,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “At least this far this season, [they] will be our biggest offensive challenge from the defensive standpoint.”
Roethlisberger led the league with 4,952 yards passing last year, adding 32 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He’s off to another roaring start in 2015, having racked up 720 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.3 percent of his passes.
“Ben can throw you open,” Williams said. “You can be one-on-one perfect, but then he’ll put the ball on the back shoulder, back hip, front shoulder and he’ll throw you open. And those are the kind of guys that you win championships with, and they have, and he’s won them.”
Though Bell was suspended for the first two games of the season, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said this week the running back is in for a full workload on Sunday. There is plenty involved with that, as Bell is just as effective catching passes as he is running the football. Last year — his second in the league — Bell tallied 1,361 yards rushing and 854 yards receiving on 83 receptions. That’s 2,215 yards from scrimmage — second to only DeMarco Murray’s 2,261.
“One of the most complete backs that I’ve seen on tape,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “When this guy motions out of the backfield to a no-back set, he can run the whole route tree.
“A lot of times, you see a guy motion out and they’re going to run a stop, a comeback, or they’re going to run a vertical. They’re trying to open up space for the receivers underneath. Not Le’Veon,” Laurinaitis continued. “He’ll run option routes, he’ll run whip routes — he’ll run everything.”
To round out the trio, the Steelers have wide receiver Antonio Brown, who led the league in both receptions (129) and yards receiving (1,698) last year. He’s picked up right where he left off, amassing a league-leading 328 yards receiving through the team’s first two games.
“He’s just a quick, crafty guy,” safety Rodney McLeod said. “He kind of catches everything that comes his way. So we’ve got to do a great job at the top of the routes, playing through his hands, and not allowing him to get on top of us.”
Preventing Pittsburgh’s receivers from getting over the top has been a point of emphasis from Williams all week.
“The one thing we can’t do is let the ball get over our heads,” safety T.J. McDonald said.
The defensive coordinator was not happy with last week’s performance against Washington, and said he let the team know it. But Williams has also been pleased with the way the unit responded this week.
“They’re greatly accountable,” Williams said. “From the staff and everything, they’re a great group to be around.”
And though it’s a prolific offense coming this week, the players say they’re up to meeting it head on.
“We love the challenge,” McDonald said. “They’re coming into our house. We want to protect our home field and do what we’re supposed to do. As a secondary, you want to make sure no balls go over your head — that’s the biggest thing. And as pass rushers, get after the passer.”
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Williams said. “It’s going to be a fun game for us, it really is.”
GURLEY WATCH
Come Sunday, the wait could be over, or it could continue for running back Todd Gurley. Fisher said following Friday’s practice the running back is questionable for Sunday.
“We have him listed as full participation all three days,” Fisher said. “We have him listed as questionable, which means, implies that there’s a 50/50 chance he’ll play. It’ll be a game-time decision. So really, really pleased with the progress this week.”
If he does play, Fisher expects the back to be productive.
“Then that becomes a big lift of the team,” Fisher said. “I think it helps us in a lot of areas.”
Elsewhere on the injury report, running back Chase Reynolds (knee) and defensive end Eugene Sims (knee) have been declared out for Sunday. Additionally, punter Johnny Hekker did not practice Friday with an illness, and is listed as probable.
znModeratorIs Gurley Ready to Go? Jeff Fisher Won’t Say
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/25/is-gurley-ready-to-go-jeff-fisher-wont-say/
If the Rams are planning to give rookie running back Todd Gurley his NFL roll-out in Sunday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, don’t expect coach Jeff Fisher to blab about it.
And why should he? This is the NFL, where a head coach’s true plans are kept as hush-hush as highly sensitive state secrets that impact national security.
You couldn’t get the KGB or CIA to break Fisher on this one.
The coach will keep the Steelers guessing until shortly before the noon kickoff at The Edward Jones Dome.
When the Rams released their official NFL injury report on Friday, Gurley was listed as “questionable” despite going full throttle in practice over the last two weeks (at least.) Fisher once again has stated that he’s “really pleased” by Gurley’s progress. And Gurley has fully participated in the Rams’ practices this week.
But since Gurley is still technically making his way back from surgery to repair a torn knee ligament that ended his collegiate career at Georgia, the Rams have the leeway to be as vague as they want to be. Besides that, Fisher clearly enjoys playing this parlor game with the media and the team’s next opponent.
Courtesy of the Rams’ outstanding media-relations staff, here’s a play-by-play of the exchange between Fisher and the STL media on Friday afternoon:
On Gurley’s status and the chances of him playing Sunday:
Fisher: “Well, he’ll be…we have him listed as full participation all three days. We have him listed as questionable, which means, implies that there’s a 50/50 chance he’ll play. It’ll be a game-time decision. So really, really pleased with the progress this week.”
On if the decision of making Gurley’s status known at game time is a strategic move:
Fisher: “Well, I think around the league everybody would prefer not to tip their hat, and that’s kind of where we are right now. But if he doesn’t go, he doesn’t go. And that’ll be a decision we’ll make Sunday.”
On if he promised to (privately) reveal Gurley’s true status to the team:
Fisher: “I’ve already told them and you missed it. (Fisher laughed.) No, I don’t remember saying that.”
On if the decision is already made not to play Gurley or if it will be determined Sunday morning:
Fisher: “Well the decision was made last week. It’s not made this week. We made the decision last week on Friday. But right now, honestly, it’s a game-time decision, so we’ll see how he is.”
On how difficult the decision is as a coaching staff to judge when Gurley’s ready to play:
Fisher: “It’s not that hard. We’ve seen the reps. That was our point the last couple of weeks was to get him back in the offense and running with the starters, and he’s done so. I think we split those reps probably 50/50 between he and (RB Tre) Mason. As a tribute to (RB) Benny (Cunningham), Benny doesn’t need a lot of reps. Benny’s get it and he can do it.”
On how much it will lift the team when Gurley plays:
Fisher: “Well if he plays, it really would have to do with production. If he’s productive, which we expect him to be productive when he plays, now granted we’re playing a very talented defensive front. Then that becomes a big lift of the team. I think it helps us in a lot of areas.”
OK, then.
September 25, 2015 at 7:28 pm in reply to: Feeling good about Sunday…the "will Rams beat Steelers" thread #31157znModeratorCabbage rolls –(aka Halupki)– Beef, pork, rice, green pepper, wrapped in cabbage and baked with sauerkraut and tomato soup or juice
To this day because of my ukrainian heritage I cook holubsti, though the recipe (and spelling) are slightly different.
znModeratorRamBill: Tweets listed in reverse order: Read from the bottom up
MMQB’s Andy Benoit’s Film Breakdown: Rams vs. Washington
Andy Benoit @Andy_Benoit
https://twitter.com/Andy_BenoitFilm: Overall, #Rams pass designs did not prosper. Receivers were not consistently open and Foles not calm or mobile enough to extend plays.
#Rams Film: LT Robinson remains a bit of a work in progress in pass pro. Inconsistent in mechanics.
Film: too many instances where #Rams, often due to penalties, had to play behind in down and distance. Not built for that.
#Rams Film: RT Havenstein not quick twitch. Must rely on football IQ and mechanics. Showed improvements in these areas as game progressed.
#Rams #Redskins film on Britt 40ydTD, Cover 3 FS Robinson not lined up right (he and Goldson disagreed on positions). Hall horrible coverage
#Rams #Redskins Film: Britt 40-yd TD was shot play built off the end-arounds Rams had been showing.
Film: #Rams a highly scheme offense. They rely on play design and deception, they don’t simply outperform opponents.
Film: #Redskins played Cover 2 in pass situations.
#Rams #Redskins Film: Austin had success on end-around concepts. DE’s Murphy and Kerrigan both had problems with contain against it.
#Rams Film: Foles frenetic in pocket. Tendency to anticipate pressure and lacks a good feel for subtleties of movement.
Film: #Rams first PA deep shot on 1st down (they did well last week vs. Seattle) worked perfectly, but WR Austin ran lazy route. Overthrow.
Film: #Rams behind 17-0 midway through second quarter. They’re not at all built to play catch-up.
Film: like last week, #Redskins played Cover 3, rotated to it postsnap in various ways. DC Barry saw this under John Pagano in SD.
#Redskins Film: LB Riley flashed into backfield multiple times in run game. Play recognition.
Film: #Rams OL – Barnes, Saffold, Brown – struggled to take command on outside zone run concepts early on. #Redskins physically strong DL.
Film: #Rams continued to deploy Austin in variety of ways, often involving him in backfield in some fashion.
#Rams Film: Foles tendency to predetermine some throws. Saw it on 3rd-5 incompletion mid first qtr.
#Redskins Film: Kerrigan played WOLB, Murphy SOLB.
Film: #Redskins primary package was “big nickel” with 6th round rookie Kyshoen Jarrett.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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Foles had what appeared to be a bad game against Washington. Here’s what I saw as the problem after re-watching the game. Twice.
1. His protection was not very good. He didn’t get sacked a fraction as much as he was pressured, hurried, and hit. He couldn’t get comfortable in the pocket, so his reads were taken away in an effort to get the ball out. That’s an O-line thing.
2. Drops. How many balls have to hit receivers in the hands and count as an incompletion for the QB before people realize it’s an issue on this team?
3. Defense. What the hell was that all about? A defense as vaunted as this one is supposed to be, with the luxury of having that team (WSH) on tape, should have been way more prepared to counter what they were doing in the run game. Too many issues with over-pursuit and not getting off of blocks put them in a hole and amped up the pressure on our offense.
4. Route-running (supporting cast). It kind of goes hand-in-hand with the drops issue, but I took it a step further because I’m interested in the team aspect of this team game. How much would Foles’ QB rating and YPA have improved if Austin actually ran this route with 100% effort instead of quitting halfway through it?
Answer: Quite a bit. It also could have turned the tide of the game. You couple that with the interception that Trumaine dropped deep in WSH territory, and that game could have actually been a W instead of an L.
So that’s my Foles analysis of the team and the game.
znModeratorWhere was THAT Washington team when the Rams played them?
Last year there was the little stunt with the coin flip, then they shut them out at home while—according to Washington players—doing things like running reverses while up 21-0. Frankly that last bit (“running up the score” sorta thing) doesn’t mean anything to me but it’s clear the coaches used it to motivate the team.
IMO it was a perfect storm. The Rams go on the road against a revenge-minded, motivated team after playing Seattle tough, suffering Seattle hangover, and of course pulling the Rams “slump after a win” act and could not get the offense going against a team that knew all about Foles.
And it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Now maybe they will put their own press clippings away and realize how demanding their schedule is, and how far behind they are getting a young OL and sputtering offense in gear.
Washington IMO had the same effect dogging them. On the road after an emotionally high game, they let down too, in turn.
So far, win or lose, both teams that played the Rams have lost the following game.
If that happens all 16 games, could mean a superbowl.
.
znModeratorLet a thousand flowers bloom.
I don’t agree with letting that occur. A thousand? That’s way too many.
znModeratorAntonio Brown presents many problems for Rams
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams have no misconceptions about what Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown can and will do when they meet on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
Ask any Rams defender and they’ll admit Brown is going to make some catches and gain some yards. That’s pretty much a given considering Brown’s vast skills. But the key isn’t about shutting Brown out so much as it is preventing him from making the type of game-changing plays that have become his hallmark.
“Exactly,” safety Rodney McLeod said. “You know a guy like that is going to make some plays but you just challenge him, make everything hard for him and just try to frustrate him. Obviously he’s going to make some catches but just don’t make them explosive plays that can change the game.”
On paper, the pairing of the Rams secondary versus Brown is a major mismatch. Brown has at least five receptions and 50 yards in an NFL record 34 straight games. For perspective, Denver’s Demaryius Thomas is next with five such games.
While the Rams are a respectable 10th in the league in passing yards allowed in the first two weeks, that number is deceiving considering they rank 30th in run defense and 31st in completion percentage allowed (80.9 percent). Easy completions have been an issue for the Rams under coach Jeff Fisher, too, as they finished 31st in 2014 (68.1 percent), 32nd in 2013 (68.1 percent) and 30th in 2012 (66.2 percent).
Obviously, the current rate of almost 81 percent won’t continue, but it has been clear that the Rams defense is willing to give up completions and try to make quick tackles to limit yards after the catch. That might be a dangerous approach against Brown, who since 2013 is seventh in the NFL in yards after catch with 336.
“He’s a dynamic receiver,” McLeod said. “He can pretty much do it all. Deep threat, they throw him a lot of screens. You know he’s going to be targeted a lot and obviously we have some work on our hands. We’re up for the challenge.”
One way to limit Brown’s production? Well, a strong pass rush would be a good idea but the Steelers use Brown in so many ways that it can be hard to keep him from shaking loose. Having a quarterback such as Ben Roethlisberger, running backs DeAngelo Williams and Le’Veon Bell and tight end Heath Miller around him doesn’t hurt, either.
“He has a great complement around him,” Fisher said. “When you’ve got a run game, you’ve got a quarterback that’s experienced and can see and make the throws down the field, they work really well together. He can really run. They’re in sync. Rarely is there a throw where they’re not on the same page. They back-shoulder fade, he catches the deep ball, he catches the shallow cross, he catches the bubble screens. He’s just a really good player. You have to know where he’s at.”
znModeratorChip Kelly’s Good Ideas Have Gone Bad for Eagles
By Mike Tanier, NFL National Lead Writer
In the NFL, being a maverick will either get you glory or get you fired. And there’s not a lot of glory to go around.
Going 0-2 is always bad, but most teams can do it without sparking some kind of philosophical crisis. The Saints can bungle badly against the Bucs, then point to their track record. The Seahawks can gut their offensive line, play inconsistent defense and cite the salary cap and challenges of staying on top as reasons for their slow start. Nearly everyone can invoke a “play here and a play there” and claim they were a bounce or a flag away from 1-1 or 2-0.
But the Eagles are different, because Chip Kelly made them different. He put a bull’s-eye on his team and himself this offseason. So far, opponents are looking like Robin Hood.
If you are having a hard time putting your finger on the Eagles’ problem this season, try using your whole hand, or just belly flop on top of the last six days of Eagles football like it’s a fumble in the end zone. The Eagles have been close in both of their losses, the 26-24 opener Monday night and the 20-10 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys on Sunday. But the Eagles cannot point to a play here or a play there. Because of Kelly, they must point to an entire offensive system here and an organizational culture there.
The Eagles are supposed to be the team that changes the way football teams are assembled, how they practice, how they call plays, what plays they run…everything down to the lengths of team meetings and the contents of the cafeteria. Everything is supposed to work in harmony. Right now, there is nothing but cacophony, and the whole Chip Kelly program—the “culture”—looks ridiculous.
That’s a shame, because Kelly has many great ideas. Perhaps too many. If the Eagles fail, the ideas will suffer more than the coach.
The Eagles only possessed the ball for 19 minutes and 30 seconds against the Cowboys. Eight of their possessions lasted fewer than two minutes of game time and weren’t much longer in real time. The Eagles, employers of a three-headed backfield you’d expect to see in an eight-team fantasy league, rushed for seven yards. They gained 21 net yards and netted one first down in the first half.
Sam Bradford committed three turnovers. DeMarco Murray rushed 13 times for two yards. Ryan Mathews touched the ball once. Byron Maxwell is bringing back bad Eagles fan memories of Nnamdi Asomugha of the infamous 2011 “Dream Team.” The Cowboys committed 18 penalties and Tony Romo fractured his left clavicle while the Eagles still had the game within reach, but Philadelphia steadfastly refused to do anything with any opportunity but squander it.
The no-huddle looked bad. The new acquisitions looked bad. The defense played fairly well but cracked under the strain of 40 minutes of field time. The Eagles line blocked terribly, reminding us that Kelly released veteran guard Evan Mathis in a fit of pique in June.
The Cowboys had zero concern about option fakes: In a league where even Peyton Manning pretends to run outside after handoffs, Bradford does not dare risk a hit. The Eagles’ only 3rd-and-long play appears to be a screen to Darren Sproles, which gets called back for holding as often as not. The uptempo three-thrills-a-minute offense is bogged down in micro-passes and stuffed runs. The team built to play smarter football commits stupid penalties and makes foolish mistakes.
Kelly doesn’t have a safety net after his offseason of coups and trades. The Lions can go 0-2 without a wholesale indictment of Jim Caldwell’s philosophy. The Texans can putter around without a quarterback and call it careful regime building. The Giants can make the same dumb mistakes week after week and year after year because they are traditional NFL mistakes, a little clock mismanagement here and a prevent defense there. Heck, we almost expect the Ravens to start out ugly. Only Kelly threatens to take a whole ideology down with him.
Conservative tactics stave off skeptics. They buy coaches benefits of the doubt and votes of confidence. Kelly must worry about non-believers not just in the owner’s box but in a locker room full of guys who did things a different way in the past, with more success.
It’s easy to buy in to fast-paced practices and massive personnel changes when you are marching up and down the field. It’s not so easy to buy in if, for example, you’re Murray or Maxwell and you go from Offensive Player of the Year to 0.5 yards per rush or a pair of Super Bowls to 40 minutes per week of chasing receivers all over the field.
If the Eagles don’t turn things around, Kelly will lose his locker room, which will be the first step toward losing his job. If Kelly leaves the NFL, it could all leave the NFL with him: the full-time no-huddle offense, uptempo training techniques, aggressive offseason overhauls and even some of the cutting-edge tenets of sports science.
Some of those ideas can be written off as a failed experiment. A few deserve a longer look, especially after some success in 2013 and 2014. Some may be quietly succeeding in the background of all of this early Eagles failure.
The NFL needs many of the innovations Kelly is trying to introduce, ideas that can keep players healthier, make football more fun and shake up the status quo. But if the Eagles go in the tank this year, only the boldest, safest coaches—Bill Belichick, primarily—will dare adapt a Kelly concept without disguising where it came from.
Did you ever have a boss that just made too many changes too fast? Someone who refused to account for the fact it takes large groups of people time to adjust to even a few changes, let alone a dozen new radical ideas, implemented in a hurry on a tight deadline?
That’s Kelly. All of his ideas are getting in each other’s way, and his own. He created a big, brilliant mess. He can still recover to clean things up: Romo’s injury clouds the NFC East picture and makes the Eagles the healthiest, most talented team in the division. Despite the ugly start, Kelly’s Eagles still have a clear path to the playoffs.
If they don’t make it, the whole heap will get hauled away, treasure and trash alike.
znModeratorhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/category/rumor-mill/page/2/
Steelers at Rams
MDS’s take: The Rams have a great defensive front, with defensive player of the year candidate Aaron Donald leading the way. But the running back committee of Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams will have a big game as the Steelers roll.
MDS’s pick: Steelers 24, Rams 10.
Florio’s take: The up-and-down Rams get up for the good teams. Throw in coach Jeff Fisher’s history with the Steelers from his time in Tennessee and this one has “good Rams” written all over it — especially with Todd Gurley no longer on the injury report.
Florio’s pick: Rams 30, Steelers 22.
September 24, 2015 at 10:15 am in reply to: Quick working his way back into receiving mix for Rams #31106znModeratorfrom off the net
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Quick was recovering from surgery and hadn’t worked his upper body or practiced with the team well into OTAs.
He’s just behind by a few weeks. He’ll be back when he’s fully up to speed.
It will probably be Givens who gets deactivated (shame, because we’re not seeing him get involved much). They’re not going to weaken special teams by deactivating Marquez. What’s funny to me is how special teams seems to be an after-thought for some. Like you can just mix and match players and the results will always be the same. I guess people don’t remember how horrible our special teams were a few years back before Fassel took over. You’d no more want to freak up his personnel than you’d want to freak up Cignetti’s. One-third of this team’s success depends on that.
September 24, 2015 at 9:37 am in reply to: Feeling good about Sunday…the "will Rams beat Steelers" thread #31103znModeratorSteelers: very good offense, below avg. defense.
Both teams 1-1.
znModeratorPA, here’s some more Fisher on the Quick thing
http://theramshuddle.com/topic/fisher-cignetti-fassel-foles-923-transcripts/
(On what WR Brian Quick needs to show him to play on gameday)
“He just needs to keep practicing. Just be patient. He understands that we have to go to 46 (players) and it’s a numbers game. He’s in much better shape right now than he was a few weeks ago, so it’s nothing structurally or physically to do with his shoulder at this point.”(On how Quick is handling the adversity)
“It’s like anybody that’s missed a significant part of the offseason program and was limited in training camp, you’re going to be a little bit behind. That’s his only issue. So I’d like to think he’s caught up by this point.”znModeratorExpect Opponents to Use the Redskins’ Blueprint Against the Rams
Anthony Stalter in National Football League
http://www.101sports.com/2015/09/23/expect-opponents-to-use-the-redskins-blueprint-against-the-rams/
If it weren’t for the boiling frustrations that came from watching a 24-10 letdown, one could almost appreciate how the Redskins beat the Rams last Sunday.
The Redskins held Aaron Donald to 0.5 sacks in the Rams’ loss.
Since the second half of last season, it’s been fun watching the Rams play defense under Gregg Williams. They’re relentless, aggressive, and they make a point of emphasis to get after the quarterback. They don’t read-and-react: they get off the ball fast and attempt to dictate where they want the play to go, as opposed to the other way around.But on Sunday at FedEx Field, the Redskins moved the ball at will on the ground. By the time the Rams adjusted, they trailed 17-0 and with the offense completely stagnant, they had little margin for error when it came to mounting a comeback (which they couldn’t pull off in the end).
After watching Aaron Donald destroy Seattle’s game plan the week prior, Washington must have made it a point to allow the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year to crash the backfield as if he were pass-rushing on every play.
On two big runs in the first quarter, Donald came within inches of disrupting the play in the backfield. But the runs were just wide enough that Washington wound up using the Rams’ aggressiveness against itself.
On Alfred Morris’ 35-yard run in the first quarter, Washington ran a stretch play and released guard Brandon Scherff to the second level after Donald shot through the gap. With nobody to slow Scherff from building a head of steam, he was able to block linebacker James Laurinaitis and create a massive running lane for Morris to exploit. Safety Rodney McLeod came down to properly fill the lane, but he missed the tackle as Morris burst up field.
While Washington deserves credit for executing the play, the takeaway for the Rams is that they turned a five-yard gain into a 35-yard run.
Two plays later, Matt Jones ran for a touchdown to give the Redskins a 7-0 lead. This time, it was center Kory Lichtensteiger that released to block Laurinaitis, while tight end Jordan Reed came off the line free to take on Alec Ogletree.
McLeod wound up blocking himself when he decided to run inside to fill the gap instead of flowing over-the-top, and Jones raced 39 yards up the sidelined for the Redskins’ second explosive run of the quarter, and their first score of the game.
These weren’t the only plays where Washington effectively allowed Donald to jet up field only to release an interior lineman to wash out a linebacker. Throughout the first half, damaging runs by Jones and Morris came out of 12 (1RB/2TEs) and 13 (1RB/3TEs) personnel, which the Redskins effectively used to execute a game plan that everyone saw coming.
The Rams knew Washington’s offense wasn’t going to run through quarterback Kirk Cousins, especially not with DeSean Jackson out with a hamstring injury. They needed to stop the run from the outset, which didn’t happen.
None of this is to suggest that Donald or any one player was at fault for Sunday’s surprising loss in Landover. No, that sort of defeat takes a collective effort.
From the defensive line creating wide running lanes, to the linebackers not getting off blocks, and safeties missing tackles, it was a mess from the start.
The offense didn’t do the defense any favors, either.
Its inability to run the ball created plenty lot of third-and-longs for Nick Foles, which led to multiple three-and-outs. By the time Pierre Garcon made the score 17-0 with a second quarter touchdown reception, the defense was completely gassed from being on the field for too long.
As previously mentioned, the Rams did adjust. In the Redskins’ first drive of the second half, Donald started to flow down the line instead of crashing the backfield. This helped the Rams clog running lanes and create more traffic for Washington’s backs to work through, but by that point the damage had been done (and the offense wasn’t doing its job).
The Steelers aren’t stupid.
They’d be stubborn not to take Washington’s blueprint and utilize formations with multiple tight ends in order to run the ball and subsequently keep the Rams’ pass rush at bay. While Pittsburgh has a drastically better passing attack than Washington, the Steelers aren’t going to subject Ben Roethlisberger to St. Louis’ pass rush if Le’Veon Bell can take over the game on the ground.
Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t what it once was so an effective running game will also keep that unit off the field and fresh.
In order to flip the script, it’ll be up to the Rams’ defense to play with more discipline, and for the offense to sustain drives.
If neither happens…well, we’ve already seen the end result.znModeratori just posted an espn article on this in the other thread.
It’s here now.
znModeratorI would run at them
In the end, I would much rather hear interesting ideas about what the Rams should do.
znModeratorLe’Veon Bell set to return against Rams
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/21673/leveon-bell-set-to-return-against-rams
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams got some bad news before the season even started when Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell’s three-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on substance abuse was reduced to two games.
The Rams had the misfortune of being the third game on Pittsburgh’s schedule and looked to to be lucky enough to miss out on playing against one of the best backs in the league before the reduction.
Now, one week after allowing Washington backs Alfred Morris and Matt Jones to combine for 182 rushing yards, the Rams get to deal with a fresh and motivated Bell. And Bell is complemented by a rejuvenated DeAngelo Williams.
ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler offered a quick glimpse Tuesday on what the Rams can expect from Bell and Williams on Sunday.
We’ll have more on the Rams’ issues against the run and how dangerous the Bell/Williams combo is this week but it’s notable that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has already made it clear that Bell won’t be eased back into action.
znModeratorFisher expects old friend Mike Munchak to try to slow Rams pass rush
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — When he arrived as the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams in 2012, Jeff Fisher was able to get most of his original band back together.
Fisher brought many of his longtime assistants and friends such as assistant head coach Dave McGinnis, senior defensive assistant Chuck Cecil, assistant linebackers coach Joe Bowden and, eventually, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and linebackers coach Frank Bush, along with him. Noticeable in his absence was offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who had worked with Fisher in Houston/Tennessee from 1994 to 2010, mostly as his offensive line coach.
Of course, Munchak had good reason for not ending up in St. Louis: He was the Titans’ choice to replace Fisher as head coach in 2011. Munchak led the Titans from 2011 to 2013, posting a 22-26 record before he lost the job after a 7-9 performance in 2013. During that 2013 season, Munchak and Fisher coached against each other for the first time, with Munchak’s Titans coming away with a 28-21 win at the Edward Jones Dome.
Both coaches downplayed the matchup after it was over.
“That’s something we can talk more about in the offseason and having bragging rights about who beat who,” Munchak said then. “But this is all about us vs. them.
“Players are the ones who win the games.”
This week, Munchak’s group of players will have the chance to take on Fisher’s players again, though the circumstances have changed. After Tennessee fired him in 2013, Munchak latched on with the Pittsburgh Steelers, returning to his roots as the offensive line coach. Fisher said Tuesday he didn’t consider finding a role for Munchak with the Rams after he came available.
Munchak’s impact in Pittsburgh was immediate. The Steelers allowed 33 sacks last season, down from 42 the previous season. They boasted the league’s second-ranked offense and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finished tied for the most passing yards in the NFL.
Fisher wasn’t surprised.
“He’s very, very thorough up front,” Fisher said. “You can just watch three or four plays of their offensive line and say to yourself, ‘That’s a Mike Munchak coached offensive line.’ They’re very sound. They’re very aggressive. They’re very patient. They finish. They rarely make mistakes.”
With skill position stars like Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell and receiver Antonio Brown in place, the only missing piece was the offensive line to make it all go. But under Munchak, the Steelers have taken off and young players like guard David DeCastro have grown into some of the best at their positions.
As the Rams prepare for the Steelers this week, Fisher said Munchak has a knack for deciphering ways to slow down opposing star defensive linemen. Which means that he and his staff will have to be on top of things when putting together this week’s game plan.
“Mike’s really good — and what we have to adjust to is — Mike’s really good at taking special defensive players away, especially if you have rushers,” Fisher said. “I would expect they would pay a lot of attention to where (DT) Aaron (Donald) is and to where (DE) Rob (Quinn) lines up. They just don’t get their quarterback hit. Their game is about Ben buying time, buying time and moving around and making the off-schedule play down the field.”
znModeratorThanks for the fix, ER. And thanks for the heads up, ZN. I think I’ve had trouble in the past just dumping links into the post, so I started using the link and/ or img buttons at the top of the new post box.
The only time you use the functions above is for IMG. For links and youtubes, you just dump it in there.
znModeratorMaybe I missed it but I didn’t hear Fisher say anything about Quick not being up to speed.
He’s being patient, he says. He says it’s a numbers thing.
The rest sounds like speculation. Even if it’s true and it may very well be–I’m not saying it isn’t. But Fisher could say that and I’d nod and go, okay–get it. Fisher doesn’t say that, at least not that I’ve heard or read. That’s why I find it odd. That doesn’t mean it is odd–but it just comes across that way as Fisher presents it.
He did. People misread that comment because they leave part of it out and take it out of context. Here’s the part they miss.
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http://theramshuddle.com/search/patient/
He’s just going to have to be patient. He’s coming. He’s missed a lot of time. He’s coming.
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Plus both JT and Wagoner have independently said yeah that’s the story.
Here;s JT again:
So it’s a tough spot for Quick. The only way to knock off the rust is to play, and right now he can’t get on the field.
znModeratorAfter starting 0-2, this was bound to happen fairly quickly.
NE, your link had quote marks on it for some reason, which prevented it from working.
When posting a link, you just paste the link into the post box without any additions or extra actions. Just boom, drop it in there.
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znModeratorWell, I think Quick gives them something that Givens doesn’t–and what Givens gives them, Austin or Bailey can give them(although I’m not saying Bailey is as fast as Givens) and why not give Foles another type of weapon? Fisher says it’s not an injury question he says it’s a numbers question. He doesn’t say anything about rust. He says numbers. So is Fisher not telling us everything? If it’s just a numbers thing than he has the option to sit Givens. If it is rust that’s fine–but Fisher never says that.
Quick doesn’t give them anything if he’s not ready to play.
And btw Wagoner on 101 yesterday said the same thing about Quick JT did.
He’s not up to speed yet.
So far that’s Wagoner, Thomas, Fisher, and Quick all saying the same thing.
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zn.
znModeratorI get the rusty thing but sooner or later you have to let him play.
Givens had a great pre-season but hasn’t had much of an impact in two games. Bailey and Austin already give you two smaller fast guys. Honestly, I’d like to see a pass or two tossed to Marquez in the game. In pre-season he showed he can break tackles. There has to be a way to take advantage of his talent–although I get he doesn’t really work on the 1st string offense during the week. But maybe put something in for him here or there.
Of course he’s going to play. The question is, why after only 2 games you think that’s an issue, for a guy coming back from an injury they are first thought was career threatening. If nothing else the recovery was long and it took away from him practicing and getting reps at a 100% rate. So he’s not ready. I mean if he’s not ready, he’s not ready.
And in terms of comparing Givens and Quick the way you do, that’s not really the issue if Quick is not ready.
znModeratorHe insists it isn’t an injury thing–it’s a numbers–special teams thing.
It’s not either/or between “injury” or “special teams. According to everything eveyone has said about it, it doesn’t get down to that.
He’s rusty, not in game shape, not up to speed—a long recovery and a lot of time spent without going through real 100% reps. THAT makes it look like it gets down to him and Givens, with Givens having been 100% in every practice.
Here’s what JT says about it:
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http://theramshuddle.com/topic/jt-chat-922/
JT: I’ve answered this one about a dozen times already over the past couple of weeks.. So I’ll try again. In returning from shoulder surgery, Quick played in only 30 plays in the preseason He’s rusty. He’s not injured. Not anymore. Fisher normally doesn’t dress a bunch of receivers. (Because he doesn’t have a pass-happy offense.) So in deciding who’s the 5th receiver to dress, Fisher has opted for Bradley Marquez because of his special teams value. Fisher is very big on special teams. Givens probably was the most impressive WR during the preseason, which I think has earned him the early-shot as the team’s 4th WR. So it’s a tough spot for Quick. The only way to knock off the rust is to play, and right now he can’t get on the field. After last week’s offensive struggles perhaps the situation gets re-evaluated this week. As for being the “No. 1” WR, I like Quick’s potential a lot, but I don’t think any Rams coach has referred to him as the No. 1 WR.
znModeratorOkay, amended power rankings, though this is ESPN:
Rams drop to No. 19 in ESPN NFL Power Rankings
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/21653/rams-drop-to-no-19-in-espn-nfl-power-rankings
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams were one of the biggest risers in last week’s ESPN NFL Power Rankings, jumping eight spots from No. 22 to No. 14. That came after a big win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 and was the second-largest jump in the league.
Well, after a disappointing 24-10 loss to the Washington Redskins this week, the Rams took a pretty big hit as they fell five spots from No. 14 to No. 19. While Power Rankings are not an exact science, it’s here that you can see the Rams’ up-and-down history come to life. The rollercoaster nature of an inconsistent team from week to week is easy to see in the big leap one week and sizable drop the following week.
Washington entered Sunday’s game at No. 29 in the Power Rankings and jumped six spots to No. 23 this week after beating the Rams.
Now, the Rams find themselves with a string of three difficult games against teams ranked in the top four of this week’s Power Rankings. It starts this week against No. 4 Pittsburgh, followed by trips to play No. 3 Arizona and No. 2 Green Bay.
Finding a win any of those games figures to be tough and it wouldn’t surprise if the Rams continue to tumble over the next few weeks. But if they can somehow find a way to win two of those three contests, they’ll likely soar on this list.
znModeratorNot ha ha funny. Just kinda surreal and disturbing
funny.Things will get better.
What’s wrong with having a good center?
IMO Saffold is just a temporary glitch. He had a lot of time off during pre-season. Out of sync-ness?
I agree with “getting better.” I expect at least 2 of the youngsters will settle down sooner rather than later.
Some things I am reading, from coach’s 22 review type guys, puts more of the Washington game on Foles than the OL. I suppose it’s no accident that a team from the NFC east would know how to attack a former Eagles qb.
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znModerator#9 Barnes +0.6
Barnes is the 9th ranked center according to PFF grades.
That’s interesting because all over the net during the summer there were people who complained that the Rams had no one at center. And it really was darn near universal. Turns out Barnes is top 10 so far. And that’s after playing Seattle’s tough 4/3 defense and then playing Washington’s Knighton, a tough 3/4 NG.
znModeratorfrom off the net
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headslap75
PFF Rams O-LINE GRADES
OT out of 70 Tackles Graded
#47 Robinson -3.5
#53 Havenstein -5.0OG out of 71 Guards Graded
#37 Brown -2.6
#69 Saffold -8.4C out of 32 Centers Graded
#9 Barnes +0.6
So there you have it, a big reason why we aren’t running well or passing well. I still believe a better scheme would result in better scores
znModeratorfrom off the net
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MickyJ
Oline Not as Bad
I reviewed every play in the first half. Slow mo, multiple times each.
I found a couple of plays where the line sucked. But more blame can be placed on the skill players, IMO. Offensive line was just okay – not horrible. What we saw, under closer inspection, was Foles panicking on many plays, rolling into pressure, holding the ball, etc. Sometimes I wonder if the announcers color our judgement. They were talking about the Rams inability to protect Foles. Upon review, I didn’t really see that. Bigger problem was Foles not stepping up, running backs dropping passes and not hitting holes, and Foles not being as accurate as last week.
Here’s a quick hit of every play in the first half.
Series 1.
1. Good blocking, 1st down to Cook.
2. Good blocking, Mason picks up 5.
3. Good blocking, Mason stumbles and falls down into the back of lineman’s legs.
4. Decent blocking, Foles holds on to the ball, steps up and knocks the ball out of his own hands.Series 2.
1. Excellent blocking. Completion to Kendricks.
2. Good blocking. Mason never gets out on the screen and Foles throws it away.
3. Saffold has issues with his guy. Robinson looked good. Benny drops the pass.
4. Saffold has issues. Might have been okay but Foles rolled out toward the pressure instead of stepping up.Series 3.
1. Brown runs right by linebacker #56, who tackles Mason for 1 yard loss.
2. Nice pocket on completion to Tavon, who seems to stumble a bit.
3. 5 man rush. Robinson gets beat, but Foles could have stepped up.Series 4.
1. Decent blocking as Tavon picks up 3 yards. Should have had more.
2. Running play, Cook and Havenstein both get beat on the back side.
3. Offsides, but Foles can’t capitalize on free play.
4. Weird play where they had Cook as the lead blocker, and he gets blown up.Series 5
1. Nice pocket. Foles misfires and Cook can’t grab it.
2. Nice pocket on completion to Cook.
3. Screen to Cook blown up by blitzer. Cook should have chipped him more.
4. Right side terrible on 3rd and long.Series 6.
1. Okay blocking on Tavon sweep for 1st down.
2. Havenstein needs help and gets it from TE on long incompletion.
3. Nice blocking on short completion.
4. Nice pocket on misfire to Cook.Series 7.
1. Okay blocking. Nobody open
2. Blocking wasn’t bad. Redskins overstacked Rams right side, leaving Brown with nobody to block. Foles should have stepped up. Flushed too easy.
3. Good blocking on pointless completion to end half.znModeratorAgree with a lot from that one! Your are very critical of G.Wms….and here’s what Fisher said about that very issue:
http://theramshuddle.com/topic/fisher-921-transcript/
Defensively, just too many explosive plays. We’ve got to fix our defense against the run. It’s a combination of things. It was a combination of gap integrity by the players. It was a combination of the staff putting them in some bad positions. Overall, we’re all going to take responsibility for that –the defensive staff, the defensive players
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